Thanksgiving Really does Come First
It started on Halloween; now it’s Christmas music until January. I don’t hate it. Growing up, the rule was no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. I’ve fudged that rule several times over my life for a day here and there. Basically, I follow the rule that my father laid down when I was a child. This year, I’ve joined with the rest of the 2020 rebels and I’m filling my home with Christmas music. I’m anxious for the peace that Christmas heralds.
God recently revealed wisdom and hope as I read again my favorite passage of Scripture, Colossians 3:12-17. “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
First of all, we who are believers in Christ are chosen, holy and dearly loved. Those are words I need to hear in the midst of life’s current circumstances. My spirit is tired, my heart is grieving, the days are full and there is no end in sight. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not standing on the cliff of depression, life hasn’t become so overwhelming that I’m giving up, it’s just LIFE. And I need some peace. Hearing God whisper that He still chooses me, He still is making me holy, and He still loves me dearly gives my heart a chance to breathe, and rest.
Secondly, God doesn’t ask any action of us that He hasn’t already lived out toward us. I know I sometimes get caught in the list of behaviors found in verses 12-14. They become a checklist, so I vow to do better, work harder, and become more aware of others around me. God opened my eyes to the reality that He has already lived out each of these behaviors toward all of us. His compassion is what led Him to Calvary. His kindness reaches into our lives and beckons us to find Him. He humbled Himself and gave up every royal right He had, dying a humiliating death so that our sins would be covered with His righteousness allowing us to enter God’s glorious presence. He gently leads us, patiently allowing us to make choices that sadden His heart, and then He graciously leads us again. He forgives us over and over and over. He draws us closer to Himself with His overwhelming, incomprehensible love. He has given us an example, but it’s more than that. He pours Himself into us, and we are changed forever; He is molding us into His perfect likeness.
Third, Christ’s peace is to be the determining factor, the over-arching element in how we choose to live. The Bible states that God’s peace isn’t like the world’s peace (John 14:27). The world’s peace is conditional, an if-then arrangement. If you agree with me, than I won’t argue with you. If you spoil me, then I won’t throw a tantrum. If you let me do what I want, then I won’t belittle you. God’s peace isn’t like that. God’s Spirit led me to list the areas in my life where His peace was not readily evident in my life, the circumstances where I was struggling, hurting or grieving. In His compassion and kindness, God whispered for me to go back to the truth that He has chosen me, He has made me holy, and He loves me dearly. As I focused on His truth, my spirit began to rest. When we focus on our relationship with God above all else, when we center our hearts and minds on all that God gives, when we give ourselves permission to really see God in all His glory and goodness, when we choose to trust who He is, His peace rules over whatever we may be facing
Finally, be thankful. When I read verse 15, I feel as if being thankful is just tacked on. I don’t think that’s what Paul meant. Perhaps it should read, “And identify all the various reasons you have to be thankful.” We are chosen, holy and dearly loved. God has treated us with compassion and kindness. Christ humbled Himself for us, and His grace gently and patiently teaches and leads us every day. Jesus has provided us complete forgiveness and offers us His own peace. We have so much more to be thankful for beyond our families, a roof over our heads and a good cup of coffee in the morning. Those are definitely gifts from our God who is the giver of all good things, and they are not the source of true thanksgiving. A heart filled with gratitude continues to kneel at the Savior’s feet, continues to seek His wisdom, and continues to allow His peace to reign.
I am listening to Christmas music already. And Thanksgiving really does come first. We need to stop and be thankful. We need to recount how good and faithful God has been. We need to truly see how God has shown up in the middles of this year’s stress and heartaches. Being thankful is not an idea that is tacked on. It is the attitude that brings us back around to the truth of who God is, and that He gives peace.
